Between the Lines
by lonelylivesofthewicked
Summary: "I should not be attracted to the new intern." Emma Swan is the attending for general surgery with secrets to hide; Killian Jones is the eager surgical intern dying to unwind his uptight boss.
1. Chapter 1

Rules are created for a reason. They're made to set boundaries, create lines, to keep us all from doing things that are wrong. We know not to cross the lines, to stay on the path, because otherwise bad things happen.

If we know the consequences, then why do we get such a kick out of crossing the line?

* * *

Emma sighed, staring at her bedroom ceiling. She needed to get out of bed—she had a surgery scheduled in a little over an hour. She still needed a shower, to eat, and meet the newest bunch of interns. It was that time of the year, a new influx of interns, meaning a whole new set of little ducklings to train. They'd technically be assigned to residents, but since residents were attached to the attendings, it was inevitable.

She knew it was time to move when her cellphone let out its generic ringtone. She felt around her bed for wherever it had disappeared into during the night until her hand gripped it. She read the ID and hurriedly answered it.

more

"Hello? Is something wrong?" Had something happened?

"Hi, Dr. Swan. Is this a bad time?" The lady's voice was calm, so that slightly reassured Emma.

She sat up in bed as she spoke. "You're fine. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to confirm that you'll be joining us Sunday at six. I know your schedule can change suddenly."

"Uh, Sunday, yes." She stood up, went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. "I will be there. If anything comes up, I'll inform you as soon as possible."

"Okay. You have a wonderful day, Doctor."

"You too." She hung up the phone and got ready.

By the time she reached the hospital, her mixed feelings about the phone call had all but vanished. She snatched another of coffee before finally swinging around to the O.R. board.

Lucas was her scheduled 5th-year resident for her morning surgery. Which meant whatever interns she got were automatically Emma's for a couple hours. None would be participating, only observing, but even knowing they were there kind of set her on edge.

"Dr. Swan!" Mary Margaret walked over to her, a patient chart held to her chest. "Ready for the ducklings?"

"Not particularly," she answered, biting down on a pen.

The dark-haired woman side-eyed her. "You were one once too, Emma. And now you're a beautiful _swan_." She giggled to herself, and Emma held back a groan. If she heard that joke _one more time_ … "This batch is a highly skilled group. A large chunk came from Ivy League schools."

"The cost of your college doesn't determine if you're a good doctor." Having gone to state school, Emma sympathized with those who couldn't afford Dartmouth or Stanford. She was the best damn general surgeon in the state, and she had a "lowly" education. "And it has nothing to do with them being interns, necessarily. It's their eagerness—they want cool surgeries, to crack someone's chest open, but they don't think about the rest of it."

"I know," she agreed quietly. "But that is what we're here for. Lucas is scrubbing in with you today?"

Emma nodded. "That's right. Don't let her know, but she's my favorite resident."

Mary Margaret gave a small smile. "Something tells me she already knows. Anyway, she'll be here any second. Remember to be nice!" She practically skipped away.

It wasn't even 30 seconds later when Emma could hear Lucas instructing her group in the _proper_ way to wake someone up for pre-rounds as she came down the hall. Once she finished the lecture, she turned to Emma with a smile. "This is Dr. Swan; she's our attending general surgeon. I'm scrubbing in for a kidney transplant with her today, and you will all stand in the back of the O.R. and observe only. Questions may be asked, but do so sparingly."

"Dr. Swan?" one of the interns, a petite blonde with an accent, questioned. "As in _Emma Swan_?" She nodded, hiding the fact that she liked being recognized. "Your research on genome mapping is amazing!"

She smiled. While her research was published and had become popular in the medical world, she didn't like to talk about it much, since it usually led to personal questions. "Thank you. Let's go check up on the patient." They all scrambled behind her. Her graceful walk and the power in her stance intimidated them, she knew, and that was the goal. She needed to remind them who held the power here.

They arrived at the room. "Hey, Aurora. How are you feeling?"

The brunette smiled kindly at her. She wore personal purple pajamas instead of the standard hospital gown. As a frequent flyer of the hospital, she and her wife were always prepared for another visit. "Tired. I'm ready for this surgery to start."

"I completely understand." Emma gestured to the group of young doctors. "These are our interns, and they'll be presenting your case, and one of them will prep you and get you down to pre-op for surgery. Who would like to present?" They should've memorized her chart from pre-rounds.

There were a few moments of silence before a deep, British voice spoke from the back. "Aurora Somno, 24. She is in stage IV kidney failure and has been on dialysis for three years. She is currently a 1A candidate for an organ from U.N.O.S. Today she will be undergoing a kidney transplant."

Emma peeked around the pack of people to see who spoke. The man was older than the rest of them, ridiculously handsome, and pulled off scrubs better than he should have. He had black hair, scruff growing on his face, and piercing blue eyes. Emma almost couldn't believe he was an intern. Interns weren't supposed to be attractive.

"Thank you, Doctor…?"

"Jones." He gave her a cheeky smile. "But you can call me Killian."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her patient. "I've explained to you the possible complications both during and after surgery. Dr. Jones here will prep you. I'll see you in the operating room." Emma gave Aurora's hand one last squeeze and exited the room. The herd followed her out. "Lucas, I'll meet you in the O.R. Make sure your intern doesn't screw this up. She's been a long time patient of mine, so I don't need any rookie mistakes."

* * *

Emma spoke to Aurora again when they met in O.R. 2. "Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling? Did Dr. Jones do a good job?" She stole a look at the man in question. He was glancing around the room, taking in the lights, the instruments, in general awe. He almost looked like a puppy. An adorable, attractive p— _No._ She shook her head to clear it.

"He was wonderfully charming. He kept talking you up as if you haven't been my doctor for three years." The woman smiled at her.

"That is weird, considering I only met him a couple of hours ago."

Aurora looked at her thoughtfully. "Emma, I would be lying if I said you weren't attractive." Emma raised an eyebrow at the statement. "If I weren't married, I would definitely ask you out. And I'm not even a doctor. Now add your doctor-y accomplishments to your physical attractiveness. It's a wonder more interns don't throw themselves at you."

She bent down so the two were at eye-level. "Aurora, this isn't appropriate conversation to have with your doctor."

"True, but you're also my friend. I'm just saying! Take advantage of it; go get some from the hot intern. You need a little tension rubbed out, and what better way than someone who is desperate to be in your good graces?"

" _Aurora, hush!_ " If she got any louder, that hot intern would most definitely overhear and then get ideas. "The anesthesiologist is going to put you under now. I'll see you after." Dr. Locksley put the mask on her, and after only a few moments she was out.

Emma stepped back and gave a smile to the room. "All right, everybody. Let's save a life."

* * *

Killian swallowed the rest of his drink, downing it in one quick motion. A lot of the hospital staff was here, since the bar was right across the street. There were a lot of cliques around the room—groups of interns, 2nd-years, orthopedic surgeons, and then there were a few mixed groups. He spotted Dr. Swan sitting with the Chief and Dr. Lucas.

Lucas was animatedly telling a story with her hands, and Swan laughed, almost snorting her drink. Her laugh was like sunshine, lighting up the room. She wasn't one for smiling. He'd noticed that throughout the day. She only smiled around patients, and he could never tell if it was for show or if she genuinely connected with them.

But with his resident, she was radiant. Her smile was absolutely gorgeous. Red lips pulled back to reveal pearly whites, smile lines filling her face, and he wanted to be the cause of it. Despite being an intern, he felt he had a chance. If you threw away the hospital power structure, they would be perfectly equal in attractiveness, this he knew.

All he had to do was make her forget that she was his superior. Distract her, dazzle her; it couldn't be _too_ difficult, could it?

He ordered another drink and went over to the three women. "Hello," he greeted, putting on his most charming smile. "May I sit with you?"

Lucas returned the flirty smile. "Sure." Oh, she was attractive, and maybe he would have, but he was already dead set on the stubborn blonde.

"How are you? Was your first day exciting?" Chief Blanchard asked. "I heard you observed Dr. Swan's kidney transplant."

"I did, I did," he responded. His hooded eyes glanced at said woman, and he noticed she was looking very purposely at the table. He looked back at the Chief. "It was amazing. You watch recordings, you practice on cadavers, but there is nothing quite like observing a surgery firsthand."

The Chief smiled. "It really is amazing—that rush. Just wait until you scrub in on one. Do you know whose service you're on tomorrow?"

"Um…" He glanced at Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

"Dr. Mills's," she answered for him. She leaned toward him. "That's our head of cardio. Fair warning though—you won't be doing anything involving actual surgery for a while with her. She's very picky about who she takes under her wing."

"I've heard her reputation. It's not the kindest."

"Leave her alone," Emma mumbled. The other three looked at her. Emma straightened her spine and stared them down. "She hasn't had the easiest time, okay? Kindness and trust aren't things you just hand off when you've been betrayed in the past. She just wants to make sure whoever she takes isn't going to bolt or decide on something different." They all stared at her in silence. She began fidgeting, and went back to glaring at the table. "Just…leave her be, okay?"

Conversation was awkward after that. After a few minutes, Emma stood up. "I'm sorry, but I have to head home. I've got back-to-back surgeries scheduled for tomorrow. I'll see you." She stood up, taking her purse.

He took a moment to admire her full form. She wore a black-and-white sleeveless polka dot dress, with black heels, revealing her toned legs, arms, and shoulders. Her ponytail left the nape of her neck exposed, tantalizing flesh, and he wanted to attach his lips to it. He wanted to run his hands down her side, down to her thigh, and bunch up the fabric until it rested at her waist—

He hurried after her. "Dr. Swan, please stay for a bit longer. One more drink?"

She hesitated. "I—I really can't, I have things to do—"

"One drink," he interrupted, a hopeful smile on his face. "It won't kill you. It'll definitely help you sleep."

She chewed on her lip. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt too much." She followed him to the bar, where he ordered rum. He made a gesture to the bartender. "I'll have a screwdriver, please."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Vodka? I took you for a margarita type of woman."

"Then you read me wrong." She thanked the bartender and took a sip of her drink. "Don't get me wrong, though. I love fruity drinks."

He feigned being hurt, putting his hand on his chest. "Oh, Swan, you wound me. Fruity drinks are frilly. Why would you enjoy them?"

She took a larger swallow this time, her eyes slightly hardening at the challenging tone of his voice. "Those _frilly_ drinks have more alcohol than beer, and usually a mix of more than one. They're ten times as awesome as straight whiskey, or _rum_." She smiled. "Don't knock them 'til you try them. In fact…Granny, can you please get Dr. Jones here a martini? Surprise him on the details."

"Coming right up," Granny replied, flashing a smirk at Killian.

"Do what you will, Swan. I can mount any challenge." He could tell the innuendo wasn't lost on her. Granny set the drink down, and Emma gestured to it. He stared at it for a moment before picking it up and chugging it down. A second later, he regretted that. "Holy hell, Swan. What kind of bloody alcohol is in that?"

"Gin and vermouth. Granny also put some lemon in it, which is standard and also interchangeable with olive." She shrugged her shoulders. "I tried to tell you. It's also really not a drink for chugging. It's meant to be enjoyed."

Their banter continued for another solid hour. More doctors left while the night crowd rolled in. When 1am came around, Killian decided now was the time to make his move. Between the two glasses of rum and the martini, he felt extremely confident.

"So, Swan…" he began, boldly placing his hand on her thigh. "What do you say we get out of here, go back to your place?"

Her eyes widened, indecision in her eyes. "Jones, I'm your superior. There may not be strict rules about it, but—"

"To hell with the rules." He surged forward and captured her lips with his. It only took a moment for her to kiss him back, placing her hands on the side of his neck. He wound his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in deeper. They moved in sync, their lips flowing like ocean waves, back and forth, each motion as powerful as the last. He spoke when they finally separated. "So, your place?"

She nodded, standing up and grabbing her purse. "My car is out front."

Emma drove as fast as she dared to. Her house wasn't even a full ten minutes from the bar. Killian kept his hand planted firmly on her thigh, rubbing his thumb back in forth. It was hard to think clearly with him distracting her like that.

When they pulled up to her house, he followed her to glass front door. She got her keys out and was putting them in the door while his lips skimmed her neck and his hands caressed her waist. She shoved the key into the lock, throwing open the door, and dragging that sinful man inside.

She shoved him back against the door. Her hands roamed his body desperately—she could physically feel her need for him, and it was eating away at her. He felt it too, creeping its way through his body, his soul. They clawed at each other, monsters yanking at flesh with sharp teeth.

"Slow down, love," he whispered, anchoring her down with hands to her hips. He dug his fingers in at the flesh there and she let out a moan. "There is no need to rush anything." He placed his hand at the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a slow, tantalizing kiss. They were both breathing heavily.

Emma smiled when they parted and began to back up, her hand locked in his. They walked up to her room, up the stairs, second door on the right.

"Why aren't you in the master bedroom?" he inquired.

She looked away, letting go of his hand. "No reason. Let's do this." She reached behind herself to undo her dress, but he rushed up behind her first. He undid the zipper, letting his finger slide down her spine as he did. She turned around abruptly, letting the dress fall down, and tilted her head. "Do you want to stand on the sidelines, or do you want to do? Because I can and will start without you." She pulled her hair out of its band, blonde curls bouncing free.

Killian almost dropped his jaw. "As you wish, milady." He took off his clothes, jacket first, then shirt, pants, leaving him just in his boxers. "Get on the bed," he commanded, his voice going deeper.

Emma smiled and got on the bed, turning and lying on her back. He crawled on top of her. He kissed up her stomach all the way up to her neck, where he buried himself there, biting into her skin. She let out a loud moan. He snaked his arms around her arched back and unhooked her bra. After throwing it on the floor, he caught a nipple in his mouth, sucking on it. His hand tweaked the other. Her hand found their way to his hair, pulling on it.

He began moving down, and Emma's breathing hitched. He pulled her panties down her body, tossing them aside, before coming face-to-face with her sex. He licked up her slit, making her writhe, and attaching his mouth to her clit. He sucked, _hard_ , and pushed a single finger into her. She cried out, yanking on his hair again. As she opened up, he added another finger, pumped faster, and circled his tongue around her clit until she climaxed, screaming his name in ecstasy.

"Oh, god," she panted, body heaving. Killian felt proud for undoing someone so uptight. She locked eyes with him. "Come up here." He did, and she kissed him harshly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She slowly flipped them so she was on top, running her nails through her chest hair. She practically ripped his boxers off. She leaned over once they were on the floor, reaching into the nightstand and revealing a condom. "Are you ready?"

He nodded. She tore the foil and rolled it onto him. He groaned at the contact. He was ready to explode, but he was determined to hold it back until she came again. Using his chest as an anchor, she guided him into her, sliding her heat onto him. They both moaned as they joined together.

He let her have a moment before he thrusted up into her gently. She shook her head slightly and placed both of her hands on his chest, and began rocking back and forth on him. It was slow at first, easing into it, but she soon got frantic, grinding herself on him with impatience. He moved to rub at her clit. "I-I'm almost there again," she huffed.

With that, he flipped the two back over, sliding back into her. He began pounding into her with fervor, rubbing at her clit, until they were both falling over the edge, each other's names on their lips, crying out from pure pleasure.

He stayed inside her a few minutes after until he could catch his breath. When he pulled out, he flopped next to her, and tossed the condom into a nearby trashcan.

He looked over at her. She was staring at the ceiling. She noticed the staring and glanced over. She laughed lightly and said, "I hope you agree that that was not a one time thing."


	2. Chapter 2

When Emma woke up, she felt awful. What had she done? She'd slept with an _intern_ —more than once _._ And it was addictive, which was going to be a problem. She had even told him that it wasn't a one-time thing. It was wrong on so many professional levels, not to mention personal. He knew where she lived now, knew she had things to hide.

How would she get him out? He was curled into her back, arm thrown over her. When had that happened? She hadn't consented to spooning last night. It must have happened while she was sleeping. She was _not_ a cuddling type of person. All she could feel was panic, the reality of the situation setting it.

She carefully peeled his arm off her and slipped away. She gathered up his clothes from her floor and placed them at the end of the bed. There were still a few hours left until she had to get to work, but he was definitely going to be late if he didn't get up.

She through on a robe and shook his leg. He groaned as he woke up, and she watched as his hands reached for where she used to be. He opened up one eye and stared down the bed at her. "Swan, what are you doing?"

"Get up," she commanded. She hoped using her "scary attending" voice would force him to listen to her without question. "You're going to be late for work."

He sat up on his elbows. "I'm sure an excuse from an attending will get me home free." He smirked and rolled onto his back, stretching his muscles.

Her eyes carefully avoided staring at his lower region. "You're not getting one." His eyebrows knitted together with _"excuse me"_ written across his features. "Last night never happened. No one can know. You'll become a pariah amongst your peers. No one likes the person who tries to sleep their way to the top."

"And you don't want your colleagues to know you slept with an intern."

She ignored that, grabbing her towel and phone. "Okay, I'm going to take a shower now, and when I'm out, you'll be gone." She smiled and then left the room, leaving him stunned.

* * *

Killian saw Emma mere hours after he left her house. Outwardly, nothing was different. She was at the nurse's station, filling out charts. She looked professional, hair thrown up artfully in a twisted bun and light makeup. Not even the navy scrubs could hide how beautiful she was.

He approached her, throwing down labs for a patient on top of stack of charts. He stated, "The labs for Mr. Hopper."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Tink's on my service today, not you."

"Dr. Mills made her switch with this. She thinks Tink is a heart prodigy, so she doesn't really want me. I know cardio isn't for me."

"Okay. Thank you." They stood there for a moment. She stopped filling out charts. "Was there something else you needed?"

"Well, I was going to inquire whether or not you'd like to duck into an on-call room with me for part three of last night." It was bold, he knew, but he'd stop if it truly made her uncomfortable.

She put her pen in her coat pocket and slammed the chart closed. "Dr. Jones, this is a hospital, _not_ a bar for you to chase women down in. Within these four walls, last night _never_ happened, and if you mention it to me again during work I will have you kicked out of this program." She turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction.

The nurse at the chair was trying to hide a smile. "Oh, hush," he ordered, turning and walking off.

Dr. Lucas was the one that eased the tension between the two. Ruby was excellent at reading people and situations, including when to ignore it. As the three worked together an hour later, she made sure to keep herself the topic of interest. As Killian was returning from a patient exam, he caught the end of what Ruby had been telling Swan.

"…And then he asked me out on a date," Ruby said, slight confusion in her voice. "Normally I might say yes—he's not awful once you get to know him. But obviously he doesn't know about me and Belle."

Swan replied, "Or maybe he does know, and that is precisely why he did it."

"What about you and Belle?" Killian asked, turning toward Ruby.

Ruby gave him a small smile. "Dr. Whale asked me out on a date, but I'm involved with Dr. French. It was unexpected, so it threw me off a bit."

Killian raised an eyebrow. "Well, congratulations to you both. I had no idea."

"It's still kind of new, so we don't want to tell everyone just yet."

Killian mock-bowed at her. "Your secrets are safe with me, milady. Now what am I needed for now?"

Swan, who had been avoiding his gaze by scratching something on a pad of paper, finally looked up at him. "We have a bowel obstruction today, as well as a few appys. Today is the intern appy, so until that person is chosen, you can find something to do in the pit."

 _Wonderful,_ he thought, grumbling to himself as he made he way to the pit.

Ruby stared at Killian as he practically stomped down the hallway. She looked back at Emma. "What was that?"

Emma was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I've never seen you talk to an intern like that, not without a very good reason. Has Dr. Jones been lacking in some way? Everything I've seen has been very excellent."

Emma was silent for a few moments. "Dr. Jones has not been…lacking, per se," she decided to say. "His work here at the hospital is impressive."

Ruby picked up on the word play. "Are you implying he's been lacking in _other_ departments, _outside_ the hospital?" The silence answered the question. Ruby's eyes widened. "You didn't. _You didn't._ "

Blood had rushed to Emma's cheeks, turning them bright red. "I have no idea what you're implying."

"You slept with an intern? I knew something was up with you two." There was a small pause. "And he was _lacking_? That is the last thing I expected from him. All talk and no walk."

Emma put her face in her hands, mumbling around them. "No, he wasn't, and that's the _problem_. I can't be with an intern. It was a huge mistake. I can't let him think there is a chance when there can't be one. Not getting what you want is bad enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse."

Ruby dramatically slammed her hands on Emma's chart and replied, "Emma, you're acting like this is the end of the world! There is no policy against superiors dating interns. As long as you don't bring the sex and drama into the hospital, you aren't breaking any rules. What is the real reason you're doing this?"

Her hesitation was obvious. "I just can't, all right? Now if you'll excuse me, I have an intern to torture."

Killian grumbled to himself as he watched Astrid make the first cut. She was all right, but not "first intern to do a surgery" worthy. His work had been perfect. His school record was pristine, almost all the doctors liked him—he deserved the appy. His bitter thoughts turned him to the idea of Swan purposely not giving it to him—it wasn't like she'd been the role model for professionalism lately.

Swan's voice could be heard in the gallery. "Cut carefully. Remember that you're the one holding someone's life in your hands. Caution is necessary. Now just pull gently, don't harm the purse strings—" The monitors went haywire, and a line of blood spurt from the patient. "Damn it, you pulled the purse strings too hard! Out of my way!" Swan shoved Astrid out of the way, taking over the surgery. Astrid was off to the side, hands covered in blood and tears in her eyes.

He felt bad for her. He could only imagine the humiliation she felt. Not only were all available attendings watching, but every intern that could fit in the gallery was there as well. It was a major embarrassment in front of both her peers and superiors. It actually makes him grateful that he hadn't been chosen, otherwise that might've been him.

Killian didn't hang around to watch Swan close up. He knew she would want to check on her other patients as soon as she got out, so he decided to go round on them all. They were all well, either post-op or pre-op or still waiting on results. When he finished, he swung back around to the O.R. where Swan was just emerging.

He could see the look of annoyance on her face. "Jones, I don't have time to coddle you over the surgery, I have patients to see," she snapped, trying to move past him.

"I'm not here to complain about that," he insisted, throwing an arm out to stop her from walking away. "I rounded on everyone. They're all stable. I didn't do pre-op on your next patient because I wasn't sure it you wanted me to do that or someone else, since that seems to be your pattern lately."

Swan sighed, guilt covering her face. "I apologize if I've made it feel as if I am out to get you. That is not my intention." She paused. "Mr. Hopper is next, correct? If his labs are good, let's—" She cut herself off, reaching into her pocket and extracting her phone. "Excuse me for a moment."

He watched her walk a couple feet away and answer her phone. He couldn't hear much, only bits and pieces. "Be there," "cake, yes," and "of course" were the only things he heard.

She hung up and came back over. "Right, where were we? Yes, go ahead and prep Dr. Hopper. Can you explain to me all the steps of bowel resection?"

He straightened up and went through the steps at a steady pace, hoping that he had impressed her. She was nodding toward the end.

"After prep, come and scrub in with me. If you behave well, you can join me on my service for the week." She turned on her heel and walked away. He bounded off to Mr. Hopper's room.

* * *

Emma turned into the facility, parking her car very carefully as to not ruin the cake in her front seat. She had to take a deep breath before getting out of the car, cake balanced in her hand along with her bag. She went inside the building and went to the receptionist.

The receptionist recognized her immediately. "Hello, Dr. Swan! I'll take that for you!" She came around the desk and took the cake from Emma's hands. "Family Night has already started. Just head on into the main relaxation room."

Emma nodded, smiling, and headed toward the room. There were a bunch of family members milling about with their loved ones, eating cake, talking and laughing with each other. She saw Regina hanging out by the beverages. They gave each other a small nod of recognition.

She found Ingrid in the back corner, by the bay window, staring out into the aviary.

She sat down in the chair across from her. "Hey, Mom."

Ingrid turned her head. She cocked it slightly, examining Emma closely. "I need to pick up Emma from school. I need to pick up my daughter and the bus is late!" Her panic was drawing the attention of the other residents, and a couple of nurses look like they were going to be involved.

Emma put her hand on Ingrid's. "Mom. Mom. It's me. It's Emma. I'm right here." Ingrid stared, her brain as war with itself. "You got me from school. You had someone cover your shift. We spent the entire evening together. We baked a cake and watched _Back to the Future_ together. It's okay."

Ingrid gaped at their hands. Her eyes slowly went to Emma's. "Emma? When did you become a grown-up?"

"What?" Emma's mouth dropped. She recognized her? Normally Ingrid saw her as age fourteen. Ingrid was so rarely lucid. Normally Emma wasn't around for these moments. "You've been gone for awhile, Mom. I'm a doctor now."

"You're a doctor?" Ingrid's eyes filled with tears. "You really did it?"

"That's right. I'm the best damn general surgeon in Massachusetts. I couldn't have done it without all those late nights at the diner."

"Do Anna and Elsa still live in the house?"

"Not anymore. Anna moved out a few years ago, after she got married. Elsa lives above her bakery. We all still get together once a month and have family dinners. We always leave a spot for you." Emma gently wiped away the tears on her mother's face. "Your room is still untouched."

Ingrid grabbed Emma's hand and gripped it. "I'm sick, aren't I? That's why I don't remember any of this. That's why you look so sad."

She never could lie to her. "Yes. You're very sick." She hesitated, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "And you won't get better. We only get small moments like these."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence before Ingrid changed her demeanor. "Then let's make the most of it. Is that cake I see?"

* * *

Killian was at the hospital. He and Tink were pulling an all-nighter to monitor critical patients for Swan and Mills. They were on hour 38 of no sleep and no amount of coffee could make them feel awake.

"So Dr. Mills gave me the job of monitoring every single one of her CCU patients tonight," Tink was saying as the two took a break in one of the lounges. "Do you know how many that is? There are people who come here from around the _country,_ some around the _world_ here just for her. She's a god."

Killian stabbed into his leftover pasta from lunch. "Her mother was the world's most renowned heart surgeon, of course she's a god. Cora Mills brought people back from the dead. If her daughter wasn't just as good, if not better, I'm pretty sure the universe would collapse."

"It's a privilege to work under her." She stirred her fifth cup of coffee mindlessly. "She likes to insult though. Calls me names if I forget a detail or show up a few seconds late when she pages."

"That's because we're they're bitches," he responded, giving Tink a cheeky smile. "We're the bottom of the food chain and they will never let us forget that. Just look at what they did to poor Astrid. She wants to quit now."

"That was the entire point. If she wants to quit now she will definitely want to quit later. She should leave and give her spot to someone who is worthy of a surgical internship. Surgeries fail all the time, _surgeons_ fail, and they move on. You have to be able to move on if you want to continue being one. Otherwise you've wasted years of medical training for nothing."

Killian gave her a look. "It's our first week, Tink. There's no need to be so harsh."

"This is a cutthroat program. I won't apologize for making sure I get through it." She threw back the rest of her coffee and jumped up. "I'm going to round again."

Killian was left in silence. Hospitals are usually loud, but it was the opposite at night. The night shift nurses flipped through magazines and played Sudoku, the heart and BP monitors beeped steadily, and a few low volume TVs were heard in patient's rooms. Other than that, it was silent, and it was disturbing. He liked the bustle of activity during the day. It was a comfort he didn't find at home.

He tried going to an on-call room but found he couldn't sleep. The only way he could sleep was with his meds, but he wasn't allowed to take them at work. It could make him sleep through a page. He had been reluctant to take them at all once he started this internship. It didn't do him well to worry about missing an important call.

The hours passed slowly for him. Around four, other interns started showing up for pre-rounds. As they prepared to start their day, he changed his clothes and prepared to leave.

Ruby came in around 4:30, and began handing out assignments to everyone. "Tink, you're with Mills. Astrid; Boyd. Peter; the other Mills. Killian; Swan."

Killian walked up to her, keeping his voice low. "Actually, you need to put someone else on Swan's service. The chief allowed me to take the day off."

Ruby grunted. "Does it have to be today? We've got a lot of surgeries and patients—"

"Yes, it has to be today," he insisted. He pulled his jacket on. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He grabbed his bag from his locker and walked out. He could feel Ruby's confused eyes on his back.

He slammed into someone as he approached the front doors of the hospital. And, _of course_ , it had to be Swan.

He'd accidentally knocked her purse out of her hands, scattering its contents across the floor. He heard her annoyed sigh as he bent down to help pick her things up. He gathered up a lot of pens, two tubes of lipstick, several pieces of wadded up paper, and a sandwich baggie filled with stick pretzels.

"I'm so sorry," he said, shoving things back into her purse and handing it back to her. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

She gave him a brief smile. "It's all right, accidents happen. Where are you going? Work is just starting." She seemed genuinely confused. Not angry, or annoyed, like she usually was.

"It's ending for me. I have the day off." He tugged on the straps of his messenger bag.

"Oh. I was hoping to get you in on a few surgeries today."

"Normally, I would be honored. But it's not a good day. I'll see you tomorrow."

Emma walked him go. Why was he acting so weird?

She found herself in Chief Blanchard's office ten minutes later.

"What can I do for you, Emma?" Mary Margaret asked. She set her pen down onto the papers she was signing.

Emma sat down on the chairs in front of the chief's desk. "I was just curious—do you know why Dr. Jones requested today off?"

"You know I can't reveal stuff like that. It's against the rules, a violation of privacy. All I know is that it's a personal day."

A personal day? Had something happened? "All right. Thank you." Emma went to leave the office when Chief Blanchard called her back.

"Hey, Emma?" she asked softly. Emma turned back to the chief, her hands on the door edges. "Do you mind telling me about what's going on with you and Killian?"

Emma's eyebrows knitted together. "There is nothing going on. He's just my intern." She paused. "Why would you think something is going on?"

"Well, first there was a conversation between you and Mrs. Somno that one of the nurses told me about. I won't go into detail about it, but the gist of it was about sleeping with the intern. And then at the bar the other night—you stayed behind to drink with him. I saw you two. You left together. And then the next day you were acting odd. So, tell me. Did something happen?"

Emma sat there in shock, mouth hanging open slightly. "Uh, well, um…" She tried to think of a way to word it. "Nothing happened between us in a manner that affects the way he or I work together."

"Very nicely worded. You may go now."

* * *

Killian opted to take a bus that day. He didn't trust his driving skills when he was this tired, and particularly on this day. He went through most of his working life without a car, so he was used to the bus system.

It took a little over an hour to get to his drop-off point, and another three blocks of walking to reach the apartment. He had to ring the bell in order to get in the building.

"Who is it?"

"Let me in, you ponce."

The buzzer went off and the door unlocked. Killian trekked his way up three flights of stairs and entered 3A. He found his brother shuffling around the kitchen, throwing food and drinks into a cooler.

"Liam, it's good to see you." He approached and gave Liam a hug. Killian hadn't seen his brother since the holidays. He'd been busy with his final year of med school from January to May, and his internship had started only a week after graduation. There had simply been no time.

"It's good to see you too. It's a shame I can only get you out here for holidays and funerals."

"I know, I'm sorry. But I'm here now." He looked around to make sure there was nothing left out. "Are you ready to go?"

Liam picked up the cooler and shook it. "Everything is packed away. I just need my jacket and my keys." The two shuffled out of the apartment and down to Liam's car. Soon they were driving off, a pit beginning to form in their stomachs.


End file.
